This invention relates to a connector for joining structural members and the connection made therewith. In particular, the present invention has particular application as a simple, inexpensive hanger for strengthening a connection between a ridge or valley member and a sloping and skewed rafter member or joist.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,416, granted in 1980 to Tyrell T. Gilb, teaches a simple hanger for skewed installations. The hanger was not designed for sloped installations, and left and right skew versions of the part had to be made.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,977, granted in 1984 to Tyrell T. Gilb, which is hereby incorporated by reference, provides a good background of the history of patented slope and skew connections. In the background section of U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,977, the inventor spent much time discussing the problems with early solutions that required the notching of the sloped rafter or joist members. A typical hanger has a seat member to support the joist and the seat member is typically disposed orthogonally with respect to the attachment face of the support member; that is to say, typically the seat of the hanger juts out horizontally. This is ideal for most floor and wall connections where the joists themselves are disposed horizontally and the bottom of the joist rests on the seat of the hanger. However, in sloped connections the bottom of the sloped rafter or jack member will typically be disposed at a slope that is not horizontal. For some joists or rafters a typical hanger with a horizontal seat can be an acceptable choice if the joist or rafter can be notched to create a small horizontal face that rests on the seat of the hanger. However, notching the rafter takes time, and some rafters, particularly I-joists, cannot or should only be notched in very limited situations. Thus, inventors have sought to create hangers for sloped connections where the seat of the hanger is disposed at a sloped angle to interface with the base of the rafter or joist. This way the joist or rafter does not have to be notched if the user wants to have interfacing contact between a seat on the hanger and the bottom surface of the joist.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,977 teaches a simple slope and skew hanger that is made from cutting a blank of sheet metal and cold-forming bends in the sheet metal. Some of the bends can be modified on site during final installation by what is known in the art as field bending. Gilb's single-piece, sheet metal hanger accommodates attaching a rafter or a joist member disposed at varying slopes and skew angles with respect to the ridge member. The Gilb hanger of U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,977 could accommodate joists or rafters at varying slopes because the seat member was not directly connected to the side members or jutting tabs that interfaced with the joist and steadied the joist. The seat member was free to bend to interface with the bottom of the joist at a variety of angles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,928, granted to George Sahnazarian in 1995, teaches a slope and skew hanger similar to the Gilb hanger of U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,977. Sahnazarian claimed adding ribs to the members that attached the hanger to the ridge member. U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,694, granted to Arne Norris Breivik in 1998, also teaches a slope and skew hanger similar to the Gilb hanger of U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,977. Breivik claimed shaping the members that attached the hanger to the ridge member in a particular manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,503,148, granted to Jin-Jie Lin in 2009, teaches a simple hanger that can accommodate multiple members at various skew angles. The Lin hanger can be modified in the field to the skew angles of the joist or joists, because, in a manner similar to the Gilb hanger, the side members or jutting tabs were not directly attached to the seat member.
The present invention is a connector and connection made with that connector that like the prior art makes a sloped and skewed connection while providing additional features not found in the prior art.